This map will keep you occupied for longer
than you first might think, although the size
is pretty average for a single bsp. The answer
lies in the weak weapons you are provided with
in the first part of the map, and the enemy
count to go with that. But more about that later,
here's the story:
Tired of training instead of gibbing some real
Strogg opposition, you walk into the office
of your commander to ask him if you could join
in on the next attack on the Strogg. He is however
not willing to let you go, and the two of you
begin to argue. In the heat of the discussion,
you pull your gun and point it towards him,
just as a soldier enters the office. Before
you have time to react, shots are fired, and
as the echoes of your gunfight fades away, they
are both dead; now you're a fugitive on the
run. You manage to steal a pod scheduled for
the Strogg leaders planet. Regretfully you didn't
bring any heavy weaponry.
The layout of this map is actually pretty good,
but the design lacks professionalism. Some areas
look good, some don't. Here's an example: when
using a lift you don't normally expect it to
go right through the buttons that operate it.
And, that particular lift didn't seem to fit
in with the environment; it should have been
replaced with some stairs. The textures aren't
used to their advantage, with the exception
of a couple of areas that look good. In the
beginning rooms are very small, but the deeper
into the mission you get, the larger the rooms
get. There's a couple of outdoor areas that
are OK, and the 3D feel to this bsp is better
than a couple of recently reviewed maps here
at QIC. The lighting however is a bit, how shall
I put it, original. Take the lower screenshot
as an example; is there anyone who believes
green light outdoors look natural? I know I
don't.
When it comes to Strogg resistance I have to
say that the first half of the map isn't very
fun, mainly because you're only equipped with
the single shotgun and a couple of hand grenades.
There's a pretty massive opposition you're up
against, and although it's possible to kill
all the enemies with the weapons provided, it
gets very tedious, yes even annoying. But once
you get a hold of the super shotgun the game
picks up again. But then the next annoying thing
happens; areas that you recently cleared are
filled with monsters again, sometimes right
behind your back, coming out of nowhere. It
would have been OK if it happened in another
room and you were to backtrack, but when it
happens in the very room you're standing in,
it gets unreal. You really have no indication
on where they're going to respawn. On the upside
is the smoothness, very little slowdown and
the escalation towards the end is well performed.
Some of what this map lacks can be explained
with the authors non-willingness to learn how
to edit with Worldcraft. Therefore no special
effects are used, but the map clearly has potential,
especially if more time is spent on creating
a more realistic environment. One or two moving
things would have added to that as well; for
instance why not make the crane in the lower
screenshot actually work. Well, that's about
it, I think I've laid everything I can remember
about the map out for you; now it's up to you
to decide whether to download or not. I'm out
of here.
